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Dr. Mrs. The Monarch
Dr. Girlfriend is a major supporting character on the Adult Swim show The Venture Bros. as a supervillainess and the former girlfriend of the supervillain The Monarch. Physically, she resembles Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, particularly since she favors the style of outfits worn by the former first lady (including pillbox hats). Additionally, her comically deep voice (the character is voiced by a man) is a parody of Jacqueline Onassis' relatively low voice for a woman. Dr. Girlfriend is voiced by co-writer Doc Hammer, who admitted in the first season DVD commentary that his first attempt at providing her voice was primarily a poor imitation of Harvey Fierstein. Personality and Relationships For the bulk of the program's first season, Dr. Girlfriend was identified as The Monarch's "number two," a position that combines both a romantic relationship and the duties of an assistant or sidekick. In reality, Dr. Girlfriend was often the more intelligent and competent half of their villainous relationship. She was one of the few characters in the entire show to regularly display any sort of common sense and it was obvious the Monarch's operation went smoothly almost solely due to her efforts. They were prone to occasional squabbling but nevertheless seemed to share real affection for one another. Nonetheless, at more than one point she seemed to harbor a vague regret or uncertainty about her position; at the end of "Tag Sale -- You're It!," she even began what may have been a break-up speech but was interrupted. After their relationship soured, she went back to her old boyfriend Phantom Limb. The renewal of this old relationship seems to bother her to some degree, as she has appeared somewhat annoyed by Phantom Limb and exhibited sympathy towards The Monarch since their split. It has been implied that she has a voracious sexual appetite, somewhat analogous to that of Brock Samson. Several male characters in the series have exhibited an attraction to her or vice versa. For example, she seduced Doctor Thaddeus Venture as part of one of the Monarch's plans, Pete White and Billy Quizboy attempted to persuade her to become their archenemy; Dr. Girlfriend seemed disappointed that Brock failed to ravish her when he had an opportunity. In fact, Brock has expressed doubts as to her femininity, which has provoked the ire of The Phantom Limb. Dean Venture seemed convinced that she was his and Hank's mother (simply because she knew some very basic information about them), although she vehemently and repeatedly denied this. History and Activities on the Show Little has been revealed of Dr. Girlfriend's personal history, and the timeline for what is known is somewhat hazy. She has been involved in the world of supervillainy for some time, and has been "number two" not only for The Monarch and Phantom Limb but also a villain named Truckules (who has been mentioned only once in passing). She was for a time a solo villain, the feared and respected Lady Au Pair, who commanded hordes of murderous moppets. At some point, she became Phantom Limb's number two under the name Queen Etheria (wearing a very revealing sheer costume). While known as Etheria, she met The Monarch and eventually became his "Dr. Girlfriend." While it is unclear whether she left The Phantom Limb for The Monarch, Phantom Limb clearly bore a good deal of jealousy and hostility towards The Monarch afterwards. Dr. Girlfriend was frequently an active partner in The Monarch's schemes to destroy Dr. Venture; perhaps the most notable instance involved her (disguised as a woman named "Charlene") seducing Venture and injecting him with a compound that turned him into a giant caterpillar. Ultimately, however, she felt pity and sympathy for Venture and discreetly administered an antidote before he became a butterfly. The relationship between Dr. Girlfriend and The Monarch fell apart in the episode "The Trial of the Monarch," when he angrily threw her out upon learning the details of her salacious past from a tell-all book secretly published by his henchmen. After the argument, she sought solace with The Phantom Limb, who happily let her into his house and immediately began flirting with her. The Monarch made a failed attempt at reconciliation, drunkenly yelling outside Limb's house for her, and Limb subsequently framed the Monarch for murder with a dual objective: as part of an operation for the Guild of Calamitous Intent, but also so that he could pursue a relationship with Dr. Girlfriend free of interference. The reunited couple appeared at The Monarch's trial and flash-froze the courtoom; while this was primarily so the Guild could kidnap a separate target, the Limb seized the opportunity to subliminally influence the court to convict The Monarch. Dr. Girlfriend seemed quite disturbed by this, and subliminally instructed The Monarch to never suspect that she had anything to do with the outcome, but suggested that Hank and Dean Venture was responsible. This sent the Monarch on a path to have the two killed by his henchmen, which had happened until they were cloned again. Improbably, The Monarch was able to escape from prison soon afterwards. One of his first objectives was "Operation: Get Back Dr. Girlfriend," which failed miserably: while attempting to express his feelings for her, he became distracted by his henchmen's reports on Venture. Dr. Girlfriend was disgusted by his continual obsession over his archenemy, even when trying to win her back. When Phantom Limb angrily approached the two, The Monarch panicked and tranquilized her with a dart before attempting to kidnap her. The fiasco failed to entirely alienate her, however, as she convinced The Limb to refrain from killing The Monarch. The childish behavior demonstrated by both Phantom Limb and The Monarch apparently frustrates and disgusts her. Victor. Echo. November.During a chance meeting, she mistook Triana Orpheus' friend Kim for a fellow supervillain and suggested that they form a female team. (The encounter seems to have made quite an impression on Kim, if only on the basis of "coolness.") Questionable Gender In contrast to her very feminine body, Dr. Girlfriend's deep, masculine voice has lead to some speculation (both within the show and without) that she was born as a male and underwent a sex change. Neither The Monarch nor The Phantom Limb, the only two characters with which she has definitely been intimate, have given any indication that she is anything other than "all woman." In The Terrible Secret of Turtle Bay she appears to have an adam's apple. For the remainder of the series, she does not. Notably, Brock (usually indiscriminate in his sexual pursuits) claimed that he "never really considered" ravishing her while she was helpless. He later incurred the wrath of Phantom Limb by repeatedly insisting that she must bear scars from the surgery. Billy Quizboy insisted in "Tag Sale -- You're It!" that he knew for a fact that Dr. Girlfriend had been surgically implanted with a baboon's uterus. His believability, however, is questionable given his somewhat gossip-mongering nature. Some fans speculated at one point that Dr. Girlfriend's raspy voice was due to having her throat cut, but this was dismissed by the show's creators. In "Victor. Echo. November.", she herself stated, when confronted in a ladies' room that, "Yes I belong here, I just have a really deep voice." Category:The Venture Bros. characters